What Ange Postecoglou has his Nottingham Forest squad doing to prepare for Europa League opener

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The Nottingham Forest squad are entering the unknown as a collective as they travel to face Real Betis in the Europa League, but Ange Postecoglou’s experience should help.

Postecoglou has managed in UEFA competitions with both Tottenham and Celtic, so while there are experienced heads in the dressing room, his knowledge will be key to their success.

Success is very much expected of the Reds, too, as Forest are slight favourites to beat Betis on Wednesday, while in the wider context, Forest are third favourites to win the Europa League altogether.

This expectation has to be managed by Postecoglou, with the latest footage from the squad in Seville showing how he is tackling this challenge.

Nottingham Forest squad train at Real Betis stadium

The Reds would be forgiven for having a slow start on Wednesday, with the 70,000-seater Estadio La Cartuja providing a remarkable backdrop for their first European game in 30 years.

In an attempt to avoid this, though, Postecoglou and the Forest squad are actually training on the La Cartuja pitch to acclimatise themselves with the remarkable stadium.

Forest can be seen practising their possession game in two incredibly packed squares after landing in Seville on Tuesday, allowing themselves a day of preparation.

Preparation will be key, but for the Forest head coach, a level of reflection may also be required as he returns to the scene of a dramatic European experience with Celtic.

Ange Postecoglou has faced off against Real Betis before

There’s no doubt that Celtic fans adore Postecoglou for what he achieved domestically, but in Europe, the Glasgow giants never reached the same heights under the Australian.

In fact, his first experience in the Europa League came at the Estadio La Cartuja, when his Celtic side lost 4-3 in a dramatic clash with Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis.

What made that night most difficult for Postecoglou, though, was that Celtic actually took a two-goal lead in the match, before squandering it in the first half.

Betis ended up leading 4-2 before Anthony Ralston scored in the 87th minute, but it was too late for the Scottish side to take anything from the game. Celtic did win the return fixture 3-2, though, so perhaps Postecoglou can take confidence from that experience.